Solar O&M Engineer III

Leeward Renewable Energy • Phoenix, AZ

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

LRE (Leeward Renewable Energy) is forging an American energy future with integrity, innovation, and positive impact. Born in Texas in 2003, we own and operate over 30 utility-scale wind, solar, and energy storage projects in local communities across the United States, totaling 4 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity. LRE continues to help meet increased U.S. energy demand through our robust pipeline of new projects every year. Domestic jobs and manufacturing are fundamental to our full-lifecycle approach to projects, along with a long-term ownership model and a company culture dedicated to our community partners and protecting the natural environment. This position reports to the Manager of Solar & Storage Ops Engineering and is responsible for Solar O&M support. In this role, the Engineer will provide technical guidance and support for Leeward Solar self-perform O&M plants.

Requirements

• 4-Year Bachelors Engineering Degree required
• 10 or more years of relevant technical experience; hands-on experience with solar central inverters required
• Fundamental understanding of electrical power systems design and operation
• Experience with maintenance, troubleshooting and repair of electrical power systems, especially central inverters such as Sungrow 3600/4400, TMEIC Ninja, SMA SC2475/SC3950/CP800
• Experience with drone IR scanning of solar plants for fault location.
• Experience with facilities database/ERP, work order system such as IBM Maximo
• Experience with solar panel IV curve tracing using Fluke/Solmetric PVA1500 or equivalent
• Experience with design, configuration and operation of Solar tracking systems such as Nextracker.
• Experience with operation and maintenance of Medium Voltage transformers
• Demonstrated experience with Solar panels, MET stations, DC combiners and Solar wire management systems
• Ability to read and understand electrical drawings, schematics, wiring diagrams and other common specifications in the electrical power industry
• Excellent clarity and proficiency in verbal and written communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to be self-motivated, manage technical projects and priorities in a complex and dynamic environment
• Ability to perform physical tasks including standing, sitting, walking, kneeling, twisting and reaching
• Willingness and ability to travel at least 25%
• Demonstrated ability to operate a motor vehicle and possession of a valid driver's license
• Applicants must have current authorization to work for any employer in the United States on a full-time basis without the need for an employment visa now or in the future. Employer visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Nice To Haves

• FAA drone pilot license desirable.

Responsibilities

• Performance monitoring of 100+ MW solar plants with central inverters and trackers.
• Remote troubleshooting and directing preventive, corrective and breakdown maintenance.
• Travel to site for field support, assist with repairing faults and/or direct other technicians.
• New plant onboarding including reviewing technical design, OEM specs and preparing internal documentation.
• Participate in golden row walkdown, new site inspections and issue reports.
• Implement LRE integrity management program for plant preventive maintenance.
• Perform root cause analysis, and issue RCA reports.
• Remote and on-site fault/alarm monitoring, and update fault condition and trouble resolution database
• Project manage and deliver cost saving and production improvement projects.
• Develop processes to manage solar plant productivity including reliability, condition monitoring, and performance improvement.
• Investigate and perform data analysis from SCADA, Ignition and Bazefield.
• Develop/update procedures, work orders, SOP’s and work instructions and implement them in Maximo
• Deliver inputs for annual operating budgets, operational cost models and business cases for plant improvements
• Manage projects and contractors related to solar engineering system improvements
• Review maintenance findings from solar projects and make recommendations for improvements or upgrades
• Document and implement plant configuration changes
• Interface with OEM technical teams
• Train and mentor on-site technicians

Benefits

• equal employment opportunity for all individuals regardless of race, color, gender, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, status as a qualified individual with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior